Cincinnati has about $23 million sitting left over from last year's budget, and city council members are now deciding how to put it to use — from refilling emergency reserves drained by winter storms and flooding to clearing the way for a factory expansion in Lower Price Hill. The city needs to reallocate roughly $23 million from last year's budget, with the money touching everything from affordable housing to a long-stalled golf course clubhouse.
According to FOX19, some of the leftover money would replenish funds used during a costly winter and flooding, while other dollars would support social services and a new manufacturing facility. The city drew $2 million from its weather reserve last year and tapped another $1 million for flooding on the east side, according to the station's report. Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney said unspent money can remain in the budget when projects cost less than expected or simply cannot be completed on schedule, per the same account.
Affordable Housing and Pensions Get Early Nod
Council has already given initial approval to a chunk of the leftover cash. As reported by WVXU, council members approved Monday sending $5 million to the Affordable Housing Fund and another $2 million to the pension fund. WVXU reports that council will decide over the next few weeks how to spend the roughly $3 million that remains unallocated.
A $1 Property Deal for a Lower Price Hill Employer
Part of the plan centers on Nehemiah Manufacturing, a Lower Price Hill company known for hiring people with prior criminal convictions and giving them a second chance, according to the dossier's reporting on the project. The city is proposing to sell property it owns to the company for just $1, the station's report notes, clearing the way for Nehemiah to potentially put up a new building. The project is projected to create 15 permanent jobs and 120 temporary construction jobs, in addition to the company's existing 234 employees. Council member Anna Albi praised the Nehemiah project as a win for Cincinnati, per the same account.
Neumann Clubhouse Saga Finally Moves Forward
Also tucked into the reallocation is money tied to a long-delayed recreation project at Neumann Golf Course in Bridgetown. Council originally set aside about $4 million for a new clubhouse there back in 2024, but the course wasn't ready for construction to begin within two years, so that money was redirected to other Cincinnati Recreation Commission projects — including ongoing irrigation work at Neumann, Avon Fields and Woodland golf courses, according to FOX19's reporting. Budget Director Andrew Dudas said the issuance of a bond will allow the clubhouse replacement to move forward even after those funds were shifted to irrigation work.
Full Council Vote Expected This Week
A council committee forwarded all the projects to the full council without taking a vote, and the station reported that all of the proposals are likely to pass without objection as early as Wednesday, when the full council is expected to take them up. If approved, the package would touch reserves, housing, pensions, a Lower Price Hill manufacturer and a long-stalled Westside golf course project in a single sweep of leftover dollars.
The debate over how to handle unspent city money isn't new. Cincinnati revised its carryover policy earlier this year, setting 17% of operating revenue as the new floor for future carryover budgets, according to WVXU's earlier reporting. And just last month, council members sparred over how to redirect roughly $1 million left over from a grant meant to prevent homelessness, with The Cincinnati Signal reporting that the committee was split over whether unspent funds should go toward immediate needs or stay tied to their original purpose. That same homelessness-prevention grant was expected to leave about $1.14 million of its $2.1 million total unspent by the end of the year, WVXU reported separately.
